Monster or Guardian?
by RoseGuardian23
Summary: Takes place after the Dark Signer War, but before the completion of the Daedalus Bridge. Returning to her life in New Domino, Chrystal fears that she's no longer capable of being a Guardian as she had failed her role during the Dark Signer War. Especially when a piece of that part of her past comes back to haunt her. Slight Crow X O.C.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, this is my first story, so forgive me if it is not to your liking.

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Yugi-oh 5Ds.

* * *

**"What's going on?"**

She was surrounded by violet-colored flames. Strangely enough, the girl wasn't afraid. The sky was a bleak grey and the air was stuffy and humid. The girl felt like she was suffocating from the darkness that surrounded her.

Soaking in her surroundings, she noticed that she was sitting on a D-Wheel. It was a long and sleek motorcycle with gold and silver streaks that highlighted the glossy, black coat of paint on the body of the runner. As beautiful as it was, she had a bad feeling about it.

The girl assumed that there had to be other people nearby wherever this was. There just had to be. She couldn't be the only one here, right?

She didn't want to walk, but she didn't want to ride the D-Wheel; not because she didn't know how to ride—because she could—but it seemed to radiate some kind of dark and evil energy. Not really sure of what to do, she decided to wing it and risk whatever her gut was telling her.

After determining not to walk despite her suspicions about the motorcycle, she drove off onto the path that the flames seemingly created.

While riding around, she took in the scenery if you could call it that. Broken shards of glass and crumbled buildings and concrete rubble were the only things that the girl saw. The flames apparently embraced her and encouraged her to stay inside the path they made that separated her from entering the ghost town.

_'Why does this place look so familiar? Better yet, why is it that no one's here? What exactly happened?'_

For a while, the girl kept wondering where she was and kept trying to remember how she had gotten to this miserable looking place. In fact, the scenery looked awfully familiar, like a distant yet recent memory. Speaking of which, it seemed as though she had none up to this point. She couldn't remember anything but her name...and apparently how to ride a D-Wheel too as well as knowing what it was.

Sooner or later_, _the girl found herself frustrated at how endless the flames were. She looked around again, but this time to find an exit somewhere instead of looking for other people.

_'I haven't found anyone yet, and the flames seem to go on forever; or maybe it's a maze. But a maze for what? I've never heard of or seen anything like this. Then again, why does it look so familiar? Have I seen these before? But I'm sure I wouldn't have forgotten _purple_-colored flames... Ugh, I'm so confused...' she thought. 'How long have I been here anyways?'_

For what seemed like forever and for the millionth time, the girl stopped the D-Wheel and looked around again.

_'This must be a maze, but without an entrance or exit. If that's the case, then how in the world did I even get in?'_

Looking at the flames, the girl figured that she could just jump over while on her D-Wheel, but as she was thinking about it, the flames rose to a height to where that idea was out of the question. The girl blanched at the flames feeling as though it knew what she was about to do.

Suddenly, she heard the low rumbling of motorcycles coming her way.

Immediately, as she heard the rumbling of the approaching runners, the girl jumped at the sudden, and rather sinister, laughter. She looked around trying to find the source of it. Never in her life had she heard such a laugh. She gripped the handle bars of her D-Wheel and prepared herself in case whoever was coming her way was a threat.

Judging from the sounds of the oncoming D-Wheels, she presumed that it couldn't be whoever was coming her way. She figured that it couldn't be anyone near her because well, no one was with her; at least, last time she checked. And she didn't see anyone while she had been riding around.

The menacing laughter was still continuing, and it seemed as if it was coming from every direction, yet it was as if it came from nowhere at all.

At last, the laughter stopped, but so did the rumbling of the motorcycles.

_"What's going on?" _She was confused as to who and where the laughter came from.

"You cannot escape your destiny." said a strange and dark-encased voice.

"Who are you? And what do you mean by that?" asked the girl.

The voice chuckled at the oblivious girl. "Don't tell me you do not remember why you were brought back from the Netherworld."

"Eh? What are you talking about? I'm pretty sure I didn't die."

"How amusing, I'll let you find out the answers soon enough..." replied the fading sinister voice.

"No, you tell me right now! I am not in the mood to keep being in the dark about what's going on! Like how in the world did I even get here? Where am I and how do I get out? Answer my questions!" she exclaimed, obviously annoyed and frustrated.

No answer.

Exasperated, she groaned, "_Ugh!"_ She slapped her forehead and said, "Just great, now I'm even more confused...! But what did it mean when it said that I was,_ 'brought back from the Netherworld'?"_ she murmured to herself.

'_And how did I die?'_

Deciding not to bother herself with yet another question, though assuming if finding its answer would answer all of her questions, she shrugged it off and quickly drove off to see who her new company was.

After revving up her D-Wheel again, she finally got to where she last heard the rumbling of the motorcycles. Looking at her new company, she noticed that they were standing on a solid-looking cliff just above her. She realized that what she heard as motorcycles was half correct as there were two duel runners and one jeep. She assumed that the other three standing next to the jeep rode in it alongside the two turbo duelists.

"Chrystal? Are you there?"

"Chrys'!? Where are you?" She felt as though she recognized these two voices, feeling as though these specific two were people very special to her.

"Where is she? Didn't Goodwin say she'd be here?" hastily asked a boyish voice, which she saw that belonged to the youngest boy in the group with teal-green hair up in a high ponytail.

"He wasn't specific on who we would find, but he only said that we had a 'friend' waiting for us here!" replied a soft, yet slightly annoyed voice, which belonged to an identical looking girl with teal-green hair also, but put up in pigtails. "And it only makes sense if it's her, but..."

"Guys, I'm sure she'll be alright. But would you please stop asking so many questions!? You're giving me a headache." said a gruff, but slightly bored voice.

The girl found herself recognizing the group of five. She felt ecstatic, but she didn't know why. Maybe it was because she finally found people? Maybe they could help explain. But did she know them? She must if they were saying her name, but then again, it could be someone else, not many people had her name really. Not that she knew of, of course that is to say if she could even remember anyone she knew. But she quickly brushed that thought aside seeing as this was her only chance to get help.

"I'm down here!" she shouted.

Looking down, a guy with slightly tanned skin and raven black hair with golden highlights stared back at the girl he'd found right below the cliff they were on. They made eye contact and the girl couldn't help but smile at the familiar ocean-sapphire blue eyes she felt she'd seen practically her whole life. The blackette however, looked momentarily stunned as he made eye contact with the girl who called out to them.

"Chrystal?" murmured the shocked eighteen-year-old, after recovering from his brief shock.

"Yusei! Am I glad to see you!" the girl replied. '_Huh? Yusei what's wrong?'_

_'Eh? Why am I not able to say any other words?'_

"Hey Yus, what's wrong?" asked the only red head of the group, oblivious to the girl's reply and noticing Yusei's expression. He was about that same height as Yusei and had an explosion of orange hair that resembled to her of a messy nest.

Suddenly, she felt as if a wave had hit her and she suddenly remembered who these people were and why they looked so familiar. They were her friends, and they were in the middle of a Dark Signer War. But everything else about said war was foggy and blurred. She couldn't remember clearly if she was fighting _with_ Yusei and the others or _against_ them.

When the red head looked down to see what Yusei was looking at in shock and horror, well, his face became the same expression.

"Chrysta?! What the hell..." The red haired duelist didn't finish what he was going to say because he thought his eyes were deceiving him, but as his grey eyes met with her emerald ones, he found that he couldn't-_wouldn't_ put it together.

_'Guys, what's wrong?'_ asked Chrystal, or at least tried to. She couldn't figure out why they seemed so shocked, was it because they didn't know how to get her out? And why were they looking at her like that?

"Oh no, what happened?" asked the teal-haired girl. Following the two older boys' gazes, she gasped. '_Is that Chrysta-nee? Why is she a Dark Signer?!'_

Chrystal couldn't understand. What was wrong with Crow and Yusei? Usually, if they saw someone or a friend in need of help they would immediately jump into action, but this; this was absurd. Did she have to explain her situation to them?

* * *

"Chrystal?"

He couldn't believe it. Another one of his best friends was a Dark Signer, but this time he didn't know why or how. He remembered that she was with him and the others during his duel against Roman before he had fallen into the Original Ener-D Reactor, but how he did not realize that Chrystal wasn't with them afterwards he didn't know. Nothing was making any sense.

"Yusei! Am I glad to see you!" Chrystal replied. "Huh? Yusei what's wrong?" Suddenly, a malicious smirk graced her face. "Don't tell me you don't recognize me. I mean, I did have a wardrobe change, but I like it, wouldn't you agree?"

This could not be happening to him. Why would Chrystal become a Dark Signer? Did she die and had unfinished business that only being revived as a Dark Signer it could be completed? No, that couldn't be it, Chrystal would've never chosen this. But if she's like this now, then how _did_ she die? It didn't make any sense. Yusei felt like his heart was being torn apart, again. One of his childhood best friends had become a Dark Signer, but for what reason?

"Hey Yus, what's wrong?" asked the only red head of the group, oblivious to the girl's reply and noticing Yusei's expression.

Looking down to see what caught Yusei's attention, was none other than his childhood friend, the one they were looking for. The girl was on D-Wheel quite similar to his own, except, the D-Wheel had thick golden streaks and had thin silver streaks outlining it. Other than the black cape like all the Dark Signers had (excluding Greiger), her outfit consisted of a black halter top with a white trim with a tight-fitting black mid-cami underneath, exposing her stomach. She wore a mini skirt similar to Carly's but with a white trim matching the other half of the outfit. She also wore short black fingerless gloves and boots that reached a little more than knee-high.

"Chrysta?! What the hell..." How was this possible? '_A Signer becoming a Dark Signer? But that's not supposed to happen and why is she one of them?'_ he wondered. He was heartbroken. He was all for defeating the Dark Signers and here he finds Grace, _of all people_, asking what was wrong about her appearance. He didn't know what to do or what to even think. His world had already been crushed when he realized that the strange purple mist had taken Martha and the kids he had been taking care of.

The red head forced himself to make eye-contact with Crystal to see if she was just playing a prank. But as sad grey eyes met smirking green eyes, he tore his gaze away from her. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. He refused to believe that she was a Dark Signer, but he couldn't rule out what his eyes had shown him. Despite the Dark Signer outfit that told what she was, the whites of her eyes where no longer white, but replaced with pitch black, signaling that she was an official Dark Signer.

"Chrystal, what happened to you?" asked the bird duelist; feeling betrayed and saddened; for he and Yusei had faced a similar situation like this just recently.

"Whatever are you talking about!?" she cackled. "I just simply gave in to the darkness that was within my heart all these years! And you know what?" she asked, slightly smirking as though the answer to this question was the punchline to a joke.

"It feels amazing!" she laughed darkly.

Yusei had about enough of this madness; he was heart-broken and wanted to hear no more of Chrystal's nonsense. He hoped that this was nothing but a bad dream. He was just about to speak, when the youngest Signer had beaten him to it.

"Chrysta-nee! Why did you become a Dark Signer? Don't you realize that being a Dark Signer completely contradicts what you've been fighting against your whole life?!" cried the teal-haired psychic.

"Hey, like the saying goes, 'If you can't beat them, join 'em!'" Chrystal replied back, "People like you sicken me. Any little ray of 'sunshine' in this world will be crushed by the hands of darkness and the cruelty of reality! People who are kind and what-not won't be able to survive in this world with that way of thinking!"

The youngest boy of the group refused to believe that this was the same girl who once saved his little sister and took care of them so many years ago. He never gave it any thought that Chrystal had held any darkness in her heart, even after all the crap life had thrown at her. He knew her best as the older sister figure of him and his sister, Ruka, since their parents were practically never there for them when they were younger. Sure she would occasionally scold and yell at him, but that was what big sisters were for; even if she wasn't biologically, but she was the only one he knew who had the biggest heart of anyone he would probably ever meet.

Ruka; who was taken aback by Chrystal's reply, started to cry, and when she realized it, she tried not to let her brother, Rua, see the tears that she couldn't stop. She was upset because no matter what they said, their words just wouldn't reach her.

Seeing Ruka tear up, made Rua become enraged. Turning back to look down at Chrystal, the teal-haired boy yelled, "You know what? I liked the old Chrystal better! What good is it if the whole world is encased in nothing but darkness?!"

"You know," chuckled the girl beneath them, "that was the most ignorant thing I have ever heard! With darkness, there shall be no hurt, no sorrow, nothing to ever be afraid of!" Chrystal replied while maniacally laughing. "That's what good it'll do for the world! So prepare to face your doom, all of you, because the sun shall set soon and the King of the Netherworld shall rise again!" Chrystal's voice had sounded like there was another person talking through her, like a deep masculine voice that had overlapped hers.

_'Hey! Why is it that everything I say is nearly the opposite? And where did all of this darkness crap I'm talking about come from anyway?' _thought Chrystal. That was when it hit her._ 'That sinister voice is twisting my words and putting new ones in instead.'_

She realized that the voice had somehow touched the darker part of her heart. As she was realizing it, she felt a surge of pain rip through her chest. She found herself struggling to breathe as she realized that the voice had tapped into her darkest memories that she thought she had locked and thrown away the key. And yet now, everything was flooding back to the surface. All that darkness, anger and resentment from her childhood was now taking over her. She was no longer in control; and now the anger and hurt was speaking through her like it was its' own person.

Suddenly, she felt herself starting to fade.

"Grr, Chrysta-nee! Take that back!" yelled a now crying Rua. There was nothing they could do now to get her back. They lost her.

"Enough with all this talking! The Chrystal you all once knew is no longer!" cried Grace, with the two-toned voice again. "Now then, I didn't wait for you to 'just talk'; I've got a schedule to run! So I challenge you, Yusei Fudo, to a shadow turbo duel! The light shall vanish from this world just like your precious friend!" she yelled.

The Sector Security officer, having not said a single word thus far since finding the black haired girl; finally decided to speak up.

"Yusei, you're not seriously going to accept her challenge are you? She may be a Dark Signer, but she's not one of the important ones! There's no tower anywhere near here that isn't already sealed. We should just get going, like she said, the sun's going to set pretty soon, and if we don't hurry, then the King of the Netherworld will rise anyway!"

Yusei, on the other hand, didn't care anymore, he felt like he had to save his friend from her suffering. In fact, after his turbo duel with Kiryu, he learned that he was just blinded by anger and hurt and Yusei thought that if it's the same with Chrystal, then it couldn't hurt to try. He couldn't just stand there and not help her. Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding, after all, he did know about Chrystal's past and how much it had affected her, even if she didn't show it or talked about it much.

"Yusei, are you not hearing me? You could be killed in mere seconds by her! Have you forgotten how powerful she is, let alone now that she's a Dark Signer? Her powers must've doubled!" he continued.

"Actually tripled; but yes, I'm sure he's well aware of that." she corrected. "Besides, it'll be fun dealing damage with my enhanced psychic powers thanks to the Dark Signer energy!"

Yusei had to think about his options. There wasn't much time to lose, but he didn't want Chrystal to be imprisoned in darkness to wallow in her pain forever. Finally deciding on his decision, Yusei felt determined that he could win and save the world and everyone in it from the darkness that threatened it, including Chrystal.

Chuckling slightly, Yusei turned and asked; "Trudge, since when did you care about my safety?".

"Huh? Yusei! There's no time to be laughing or chuckling or whatever! Dueling her isn't worth it!" Trudge replied, harrumphing as he tried to show disinterest by crossing his arms irritably.

"On the contrary, have you forgotten who I am? I help those who need help, friends or not, and that includes Chrystal; even if she's our enemy." replied Yusei, now feeling a little more confident in his decision to take up Chrystal's challenge.

"Alright, fine. Chrystal, I accept—" Yusei was cut off by someone else who also didn't agree with having him duel Chrystal.

"—your challenge." said Crow, who was standing on Yusei's right. He had placed his arm in front of Yusei with his palm facing his chest, signaling that he wanted Yusei to step back and let him handle Chrystal instead.

"But Crow, you're not a Signer, and Chrys' said that she wanted to duel me and-" Yusei was cut off again by the red headed Blackwing duelist.

"_I. Don't. Care._" he replied, carefully puncturing each word with anger, "I beat Greiger didn't I? So don't tell me what I can't do or why I shouldn't do it. I simply don't care and I'm gonna duel Chrys' because I want to, okay?"

Crow was practically pleading, though he tried to not let it seem that way. He wanted to face Chrystal because he just had to; even if it was going to be the last time he'd ever get to see her again.

"Hah! Oh, how pathetic, the little birdie is deciding to play hero now, huh?" Chrystal taunted.

Crow flinched at that remark. Of course, he and Chrystal would have arguments, but she'd never say anything degrading to him.

"Alright, fine. You'll just be another sacrifice to the King of the Netherworld anyway!"

* * *

**A/N:** For those of you who have already read this story can probably already tell what I did. I decided to re-fix this story and its chapters. I hope it looks better this way and that it will make more sense.** _Please review and I wouldn't mind some constructive criticism. :)_**

**Update: **I decided to change the O.C.'s name to Chrystal because I didn't like using the original name. Anyways, sorry for the inconvenience, I hope you guys like the new name. If not, sorry, but I'm not planning on changing it anytime soon. And I'm extremely sorry for the name change. If there's anyone to blame, blame my ridiculous indecisiveness. I swear, that thing makes me go crazy.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, here's the second chapter, but I won't say much about it because you'll have to read it, so enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT claim any rights to Yugi-oh 5Ds or its characters. I only own my O.C. Chrystal and this story's plot as well as my own cards.

**Note:** Bolded names/words after the next line break of either Spell, Trap, or Monster cards are made-up. Also, **SpC** is just Speed Counters abbreviated.

* * *

**"Chrystal Clear?"**

Revving up their D-Wheels, Chrystal and Crow got into position.

"Activate the field spell; Speed World." said the voice that activated the turbo duel screen on both duel runners. As the Field Spell was being activated, the purple flames seemed to roar with intense heat.

"No escaping now, Crow. You're trapped in here like a bird in a cage! Or maybe, rather; in a rotisserie!" Chrystal cackled. "Alright, whoever rounds that corner first gets the first move!"

Crow, knowing fully well how Chrystal dueled; decided that he needed to beat her to the curve so that he could get the upper hand. Putting his runner into full blast, he managed to beat Chrystal; although just barely.

"Humph, well then, looks like the birdie goes first." she taunted.

Ignoring her taunts, they both yelled, "Let's Duel!"

**Darker Signer Chrystal (LP: 4000) VS. Crow Hogan (LP: 4000)**

"Alright, I'm first! Draw!" shouted Crow.

**Crow: 4000 LP; 1 SpC**  
**Chrystal: 4000 LP; 1 SpC**

Looking at his hand, Crow hoped that luck would be on his side. "I play the **Speed Spell-Black Whirlwind**! (I'm not sure if this is an actual card or not.) I can activate this if I have one or more Speed Counters! When I summon a Blackwing monster after activating this card, I can add any other Blackwing monster from my deck to my hand with less attack points than the monster I just summoned! And I'll play Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flame in attack mode!"

Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flame, Lv. 4 winged-beast; 1800 ATK 1200 DEF

A rather thin and lanky-looking man in a bird outfit/costume mainly colored in shades of black and blue appeared on the field next to Crow.

"Since I summoned a Blackwing, my spell card, Black Whirlwind, activates! And I choose to add Blackwing—Bora the Spear to my hand. My deck is then shuffled and with that, I special summon Blackwing—Bora the Spear, due to one of its' special abilities! Birds of a feather, flock together right? Well, if I already control a Blackwing monster other than Blackwing—Bora the Spear, than I can special summon it from my hand to the field."

Blackwing—Bora the Spear, Lv. 4 Dark Attribute winged beast; 1700 ATK 800 DEF

Another Blackwing appeared onto the field, but this time with a lance-like spear. The new Blackwing had two large blue feathered wings sprouting from its back and had orange and yellow feathers on its head somewhat resembling hair.

"I place two cards face down and end my turn!"

"Finally! Alright; my turn, Draw!"

**Crow: 4000 LP; 2 SpC**  
**Chrystal: 4000 LP; 2 SpC**

Looking at her hand, Chrystal hoped her darker counterpart would go easy on Crow.

"I activate the Speed Spell-Acceleration Limiter! During your next two turns, you won't be able to place Speed Counters during your Standby Phases! Sorry Birdie. I summon Dunames Dark Witch in Attack mode!"

As Grace summoned the monster, her eyes changed from its normal emerald green color to a blazing lavender.

Dunames Dark Witch, Lv. 4 Light Attribute Fairy; 1800 ATK 1050 DEF

A fairy with short burgundy hair with a white headband with blue and green jewels materialized onto Chrystal's side of the field. It had angelic-like wings with what appeared to be the same jewels on her headband decorating its rim. She wore a short warrior/battle dress with the torso being a similar shade of her hair, long white gloves that reached just below her elbows, and matching long white boots.

_"Ugh, just great; so much for going easy"._ she groaned, mentally face palming herself.

"I activate the Speed Spell-Curse of Fate! I can activate this by having two or more Speed Counters. By selecting 1 face-up monster I control, I can deal direct damage to my opponents' Life Points equal to half of its' ATK!" she explained.

**Damage Dealt:** 1800/2 = 900  
**Crow's LP:** 4000-900 = 3100

Crow cringed as he felt the sting of damage even though it had been from a card effect. _"Uh oh not good, guess she wasn't kidding when she said 'enhanced psychic powers', huh?"_

"Due to activating and using this cards' effect, my selected monster won't be able to attack this turn, but it's a small price to pay, so I don't mind. I'll end my turn with a face-down!" she exclaimed.

"My turn! Draw!" said Crow, still determined to win.

**Crow: 3100; 2 SpC**  
**Chrystal: 4000 LP; 3 SpC**

"I tribute summon Blackwing—Sirocco the Dawn!"

Crow had chosen to tribute his Blackwing-Bora the Spear, who had turned into a ball of light, had vanished. In its place, the tribute summoned monster appeared.

Blackwing—Sirocco the Dawn, Lv. 5 Dark Attribute Winged Beast; 2000 ATK 900 DEF

Another Blackwing monster appeared on Crow's side of the field. It had large black feathered wings and a long flat tail made of the same colored feathers. Its' head was covered in dark blue feathers and it had an eagle-like beak.

"Black Whirlwind activates! And I'll choose to add Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flame from my deck to my hand. My deck is then shuffled again. I also special summon another Blackwing—Bora the Spear!"

A second Blackwing—Bora the Spear appeared onto the field.

"I activate Blackwing—Sirocco the Dawns special ability! Once per turn, I can select 1 face-up Blackwing monster I control in order for it to gain ATK equal to the total ATK of all face-up Blackwing monsters on the field except itself until the End Phase of my turn. On the flip side though, monsters other than the selected monster cannot attack the turn I activate this effect." Crow explained. "And I'll choose Blackwing—Sirocco the Dawn!"

Total ATK from other Blackwings: 1800+1700=3500  
Blackwing—Sirocco the Dawn: 2000+3500=5500

"Now, Blackwing—Sirocco the Dawn, attack Chrys's Dunames Dark Witch!" Crow commanded.

As the Blackwing was about to strike, Chrystal activated her face-down card.

"Sorry Birdie. I activate my face-down trap card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! With this trap, I can negate one of your monsters' attacks and place it back face-down instead of sending it to the Graveyard. What a useful card, wouldn't you say?" she chuckled.

Crow groaned. He knew where Chrystal had gotten the trap from. '_Yusei!'_ he whined, mentally face palming himself. The said friend had decided to give one of his trusty trap cards; obviously Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, to her in case she would ever need it.

_'Great and it decided to show up during our duel too…'_

"Fine. I end my turn." said Crow.

"My turn. Draw!" Grace replied.

**Crow: 3100 LP; 2 SpC  
Chrystal: 4000 LP; 4 SpC**

Smirking, Chrystal said, "Yes! _Now_ we can get this show on the road! I summon **Moonlight Fairy** in attack mode!"

**Moonlight Fairy**, Lv. 4 Dark Attribute Fairy; 2000 ATK 1700 DEF

Another fairy about the same size as Dunames Dark Witch materialized on Chrystal's side of the field. She had black as midnight hair and it reached to just above her waist. She wore a simple and short, flowy black dress with thin straps that met at the top of her shoulder blades each forming a bow and she wore simple black flats. Her eyes were a dark brown and she had fair skin. She also had typical fairy wings, but it was nearly transparent yet it shimmered when the suns' rays hit it at different angles.

"Now then, I activate her special ability! When successfully summoned, whether it's normal, flipped, or special, I can special summon to my field, **Sunshine Fairy**, whether she's in my Hand, Deck or Graveyard!" Chrystal explained.

A tanned-skin fairy with a long soft honey-colored ponytail materialized on the other side of Dunames Dark Witch. She had hazel eyes and what looked like on her back were three narrow wings stacked on top of each other to form slightly larger wings. She wore a black halter-top dress with a long skirt that had a slit on one side of her dress revealing her leg; which stopped at the middle of her thigh.

**Sunshine Fairy**, Lv. 3 Tuner Light Attribute Fairy; 1600 ATK 1100 DEF

Chrystal threw her right hand up and said, "I tune Lv. 3 **Sunshine Fairy** with Lv. 4 **Moonlight Fairy**. When darkness seems to have its victory, the light shall—_Argh!_" She was interrupted by an intense sharp pain that shot down her back.

"_Finish that phrase and I'll take over the duel myself!"_ threatened the same malicious voice that had made itself known to her at the beginning.

"Argh, I—I Synchro Summon, Ancient Sacred Wyvern!" she continued.

A pearl-white dragon-like creature with long, shimmering blonde hair with strange black-colored markings on its' back materialized next to Chrystal. It had green eyes; almost the same color as the girl's original eyes had been, and the scales around and above its eyes were red.

Ancient Sacred Wyvern, Lv. 7 Light Attribute Fairy/Synchro/Effect; 2100 ATK 2000 DEF

"My Synchro's effect activates! When my Life Points are higher than my opponents', it gains ATK equal to the difference!"

**LP Difference:** 4000 LP-3100 LP=900  
Ancient Sacred Wyvern: 2100+ 900=3000 ATK

"Ancient Sacred Wyvern attack Crow's Blackwing—Sirocco the Dawn!" Chrystal commanded. "Attack, with Sacred Beam!"

The dragon-like creature threw its head back and launched a thick beam of blinding light from its mouth towards the large bird. Sirocco the Dawn's hologram shattered to pieces.

**ATK Difference:** 3000-2000=1000  
**Crow's LP:** 3100-1000=2100

"Gah!" shouted Crow, as his Life Points plunged. His D-Wheel started to swerve, nearly touching the flames, as he felt the physical damage dealt to him. Due to the field spell; Speed World, Crow's Speed Counters decreased by one for every 1000 points of damage he received.

**Crow: **2100 LP; 1 SpC

"I'm not done yet! Dunames Dark Witch; attack his Blackwing—Bora the Spear!" she exclaimed.

The fairy threw her hands above her head and formed a bow and arrow made of the same light blue-colored energy as she took aim at Blackwing—Bora the Spear.

"Attack, with Valhalla Arrow!" she commanded again.

The angel-like fairy released the arrow and Bora the Spear's hologram shattered to bits and pieces like Sirocco the Dawn's had. Crow grunted in pain from the impact.

**ATK Difference:** 1800-1700=100  
**Crow's LP:** 2100-100=2000

"And with that, I end my turn." Chrystal declared.

**LP Difference:** 4000-2000=2000  
**Ancient Sacred Wyvern:** 2100+2000=4100 ATK

"Heh, you can't keep me down for long! It's my turn! Draw!" cried Crow.

**Crow: 2000 LP; 2 SpC  
Chrystal: 4000 LP; 5 SpC**

'_Alright, this should help.'_ The card he had just drew was Blackwing—Kalut the Moon Shadow.

"I attack Dunames Dark Witch with Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flame!" Crow commanded. Before the Damage Step of the Battle Phase, Crow activated Blackwing—Kalut the Moon Shadows' special ability.

"I activate Blackwing—Kalut the Moon Shadows' special ability from my hand! Due to its' effect, if one of my Blackwing monsters attacks or is attacked, I can discard this card to the Graveyard and have the battling monster gain 1400 ATK until the End Phase of my turn!" he explained.

Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flame: 1800+1400= 3200 ATK

Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flame flew towards Dunames Dark Witch looking stronger and more buff due to the power boost.

"Sorry Birdie. But I activate the trap, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" replied Chrystal.

"Not so fast!" cried Crow. "I activate _MY_ trap, Trap Stun! Meaning with this trap, I can negate the activation of your Scrap-Iron Scarecrow."

Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flame continued with its attack and caused Chrystal's fairy-warrior monster to shatter into bits and pieces.

**ATK Difference:** 3200-1800=1400  
**Chrystal's LP:** 4000-1400=2600

"Huh, not bad. Not bad at all, Birdie." Grace taunted, not the slightest bit worried about her Life Points.

**LP Difference:** 2600-2000=600  
Ancient Sacred Wyvern: 2100+600=2700 ATK

"I end my turn!" replied Crow, a little more worried now as Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flames' ATK returned to normal.

"My turn. Draw." Chrystal replied bluntly.

**Crow: 2000 LP; 3 SpC  
Chrystal: 2600 LP; 6 SpC**

"Ancient Sacred Wyvern, attack Crow's only monster! Attack; with Sacred Beam!"

Again, the dragon-like serpent threw its head back and blasted a thick beam of light at Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flame. Its hologram was shattered to pieces as Crow's Life Points took a hit.

**ATK Difference:** 2700-1800=900  
**Crow's LP:** 2000-900=1100

"Your time is almost up Birdie!" her counterpart warned.

Immediately, Chrystal felt like this was the time to intervene and really make Crow get serious about the duel now; because she knew her counterpart was ready to finish him. She decided that there was no other way but to force herself to resist Darkness again in order to talk, even if it meant that her warning would be the last thing she said to him.

"Crow, listen to me! Defeat me as soon as you can. There's no other option...!" Chrystal grunted in pain from a splitting headache she was receiving due to resisting and she lifted her right hand to her forehead as if it would help ease the pain. "I'll try to refrain from attacking you, but—argh; I'm sure your aware of the fact that I _have no control_ over my body at all; Crow, I'm sorry!"

While still fighting for control of her body, Chrystal became possessed by the darkness that had forced her to duel Crow in the first place. As a dark aura surrounded Chrystal, it exclaimed; "Foolish girl! Stop resisting! It's already too late! It's a shame that you were once a Signer, but I guess it just goes to show that you were not meant to be the Signers' Guardian in the first place! Look at the damage you've caused! You're nothing but a monster, that's why you belong to me, the Shadows!"

"That's not true! Chrystal, don't listen to it!" responded Crow.

Unfortunately, Chrystal had lost the fight. Now, all she could do was watch herself duel Crow while her darker counterpart took complete control.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so what did y'all think? And what do you think the outcome will be? The only way to find out is to read the next chapter. _**P******__**lease** _review and I wouldn't mind constructive criticism. :)

**P.S.** In the next chapter there will be character deaths. Just wanted to warn y'all.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay! Here's Chapter 3! Oh and another thing, there are character deaths, just wanted to let y'all know in case you didn't read the little note I left at the bottom of the last chapter or if you forgot about it. If you don't like it or can't stand reading stuff with any type of character deaths, then I suggest not to read this chapter. Unless you want to finish reading the duel, but don't say I didn't warn you.

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Yugi-oh 5Ds or its characters or cards. I only own my O.C. Chrystal and the story's plot.

**Note:** Bolded names/words after the next line break of either Spell, Trap, or Monster cards are made-up. Also, **SpC** is just Speed Counters abbreviated.

* * *

**"I'm Sorry"**

Chrystal's eyes became more sinister-like and she had an evil smirk across her face again. "Sorry Birdie, but you won't be seeing that little monster anymore!" she cackled with the two-tone voice. "Now then, I'll end my turn with two face-downs."

**LP Difference:** 2600-1100=1500  
Ancient Sacred Wyvern: 2100+1500=3600 ATK

"My turn! Draw!" said Crow. "And she's _not_ a monster!" he added angrily.

**Crow: 1100 LP; 4 SpC  
Chrystal: 2600 LP; 7 SpC**

"Alright! I summon Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flame, and since I summoned a Blackwing, my spell Black Whirlwind activates! And I choose to add Blackwing—Bora the Spear! And with that my deck shuffles once again." said Crow. "I special summon Blackwing—Bora the Spear and I also special summon Blackwing—Gale the Whirlwind in attack mode! I can special summon this monster because of one of its' special abilities! If I already control a Blackwing monster other than Blackwing—Gale the Whirlwind then I am able to special summon it from my hand to the field!"

Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind, Lv. 3 Tuner Dark Attribute Winged Beast; 1300 ATK 400 DEF

A rather small little Blackwing appeared next to Crow. Its face was a pale yellow and it had large round white eyes. It had somewhat green feathers that resembled hair and the rest of its body was a bluish-black with a tint of purple. There was a white colored frock-like design around its neck which made it stand out against its violet-blue colored body.

"I also activate Gale's other special ability! Once per turn I can cut one of my opponents' monsters' ATK and DEF in half. And I choose to halve Ancient Sacred Wyverns' ATK and DEF!"

Ancient Sacred Wyvern: 1800 ATK 1000 DEF

"I tune Lv. 3 Blackwing—Gale the Whirlwind with Lv. 4 Blackwing—Bora the Spear in order to Synchro summon Blackwing Armor Master!" exclaimed Crow.

Blackwing Armor Master, Lv. 7 Dark Attribute Winged Beast/Synchro/Effect; 2500 ATK 1500 DEF

"Blackwing Armor Master attack Grace's Ancient Sacred Wyvern!" he commanded.

The large muscled Blackwing swooped towards Ancient Sacred Wyvern, attempting to destroy it.

"Not so fast Birdie! Did you forget? I activate the trap, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" replied Chrystal.

A scarecrow made of bits and pieces of scrap metal appeared, attempting to block Blackwing Armor Masters' attack; when Crow activated the last face-down card on his field.

"Sorry Chrystal, but I activate my face-down trap card, Icarus Attack! By tributing one of my Winged Beasts, I can destroy two cards on the field! I tribute Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flame, so say 'sayonara' to your Scrap-Iron Scarecrow and to the face-down card on your left!" explained Crow.

Blackwing—Shura the Blue Flame became an orb of blue light and flew through Scrap-Iron Scarecrow and the face-down card on the left on Chrystal's side of the field. The cards were destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as Blackwing Armor Master continued its attack towards Ancient Sacred Wyvern. In a matter of seconds, the majestic pearly dragon-like creature was destroyed.

Chrystal cringed as her Signer Dragon burst into pieces like shattered glass as well as seeing her Life Points take a hit.

**ATK Difference:** 2500-1800=700  
**Chrystal's LP: **2600-700=1900

"I end my turn." said Crow.

**Crow: 1100 LP; 5 SpC  
Chrystal: 1900 LP; 8 SpC**

"My turn. Draw!" Chrystal replied.

Suddenly, an even more malicious grin graced her face as she started to laugh. "You'll never survive this! For now I special summon my key card! By paying 1000 LP, I can special summon from my hand; Dark Goddess Witaka!"

**Chrystal's LP:** 1900-1000=900

Dark Goddess Witaka, Lv. 3 Dark Tuner Dark Attribute Spellcaster; 0 ATK 0 DEF

"I play the Speed Spell-Half Seize! I can activate this card if I have 3 or more SpC. This speed spell allows me to halve the attack of 1 face-up monster my opponent controls and I gain Life Points equal to the halved ATK!" she explained.

**Blackwing Armor Master: **2500/2=1250 ATK  
**Chrystal's LP: **900+1250=2150

"When Ancient Sacred Wyvern is destroyed by battle, I can special summon it back to the field by paying 1000 life points!" Chrystal continued.

**Chrystal's LP: **2150-1000=1150

A blue-colored portal opened, revealing the dragon-like creature, as it re-materialized next to Chrystal again.

"I activate my face-down trap, Call of the Haunted! So rise again, **Sunshine Fairy**!" she exclaimed. A tanned-skin fairy reappeared onto the field. "Too bad these two won't be sticking around for long because I tune Lv. 3 **Sunshine Fairy** with Lv. 7 Ancient Sacred Wyvern. When the world is in chaos, the queen shall step up and enforce her light upon those who need it! I Synchro summon; **Dragonic Fairy Queen**!"

**Dragonic Fairy Queen**, Lv. 10 Light Attribute Fairy/Synchro/Effect; 3000 ATK 2700 DEF

A tall and slim fairy appeared next to the Dark Tuner. She had green eyes and black hair with thin red streaks in it. She wore a plain gray-blue cape with a hood and golden fastener. Like most royalty, she wore a tiara. Her dress was a pearl-opal kind of white and was similar to a mermaid dress, but without the tail hem part of the skirt. The skirt had soft ruffles layered on top of one another resembling dragon scales. On top of the dress was a pale ice blue sleeveless, and strapless wrapped cardigan. Her wings were majestic and crescent-shaped. She held a silver staff with what looked like two serpent dragons slithering their way towards the milky colored orb on its tip.

"I activate **Dragonic Fairy Queens**' special ability! By paying 1000 Life Points, I can destroy all cards on my opponents' side of the field!" she explained.

**Chrystal's LP: **1150-1000=150

"No!" cried Crow. He was doomed now. 'Chrystal_, I'm sorry. I couldn't save you.'_

"My** Dragonic Fairy Queens**' other special ability activates! When successfully special summoned, I can choose to either special summon the Tuner or the Synchro material monster that was used to Synchro summon this card! And I choose to special summon **Sunshine Fairy** once again!"

The tanned-skin fairy made her reappearance once more. "Now I can activate Dark Goddess Witaka's special ability! Once per turn, I can select one Synchro monster that I control and this cards' level will become the same level as the selected Synchro!" she explained. "And I'll choose Witaka's level to become the same as **Dragonic Fairy Queens**'."

Dark Goddess Witaka Lv. 10

"Now I send to the Graveyard, Lv. 3 **Sunshine Fairy** and Lv. 10 Dark Goddess Witaka. _When dark overlaps with dark, the doors of the underworld will open to a world without light. Dark Synchro! Show yourself, _**Ancient Shadow Ruins Dragon**!" Chrystal chanted. "There's no running from this Crow!"

**Ancient Shadow Ruins Dragon**, Lv. -7 Dragon/Dark Synchro/Effect; 3000 ATK 2500 DEF

The Dark Synchro monster looked a lot like what the darker version of Ancient Fairy Wyvern would look like except bigger and having demonic wings. Lavender replaced the green in its' eyes and its' body wasn't a pearl white, but rather, it was colored charcoal black instead. The markings were still there, but instead it was colored silver.

"**Ancient Shadow Ruins Dragon** take aim at Crow's Life Points! Attack him directly with Malevolent Beam!" she commanded.

The two turbo duelists were unaware that they were near the cliff; the starting point of their duel when the impact of the attack was so great, that it caused the cliff that Yusei and the others were standing on, to start crumbling.

**Crow's LP: 0 LOSER**  
**Chrystal's LP: 150 WINNER**

* * *

Before she realized it, Chrystal had jumped off her D-Wheel and rushed to Crow's side. From how he landed, he had a deep gash on his right arm and leg. His helmet was broken and whatever else may have been as well. When she reached him, she saw that the whole right side of his body had been covered in blood.

"Crow! Crow, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I tried to hold back, I swear! It should be me on the ground, not you! Crow, please don't—"

"—Chrystal, calm down. Everything's going to be okay." said Crow, interrupting her train of apologies.

"Okay? Okay?! How is this going to be okay? Crow, you're seriously hurt! You're bleeding like crazy! So don't tell me it's _going to be okay_; seriously, of all the things you could've said! I mean, don't you realize what just happened?! You flew off your D-Wheel from an attack of what, 3000 ATK, that sent you a hundred feet away from where you were hit! The fact that you're still breathing—even if it's just barely—isn't possible from a physical attack with a mix of my psychic powers and the Dark Signer energy and—" said Chrystal, continuing to rant.

Crow couldn't help but grin and laugh a bit. He always thought she looked rather cute whenever she rambled.

"Huh...? What's so funny Crow?" she asked; ending her train of thoughts that had been going nowhere. "Crow...I'm—I'm so, so, sorry. Please don't leave me, you'll make it, I'm sure…all we have to do is stop the bleeding and—" distant rumbling sounds were heard; interrupting Chrystal. When she turned to see what was happening, she saw the cliff where Yusei and the others had been standing on collapse.

_'Oh no! The impact of the attack must've hit the cliff!'_ Her eyes widened in horror as she realized what had happened. She continued to watch in horror and in helplessness as she lost sight of her friends within the rubble. She cried out their names but she knew it was all in vain; knowing that none of them couldn't have survived the thirty-foot drop.

Crow raised his hand to cup Chrystal's cheek in an attempt to soothe her as she started to cry. Closing her eyes and turning back to face him, she said, "Crow, I'm so sorry that this had to happen. Please don't leave me. I remember why I was revived now. You were one of the reasons why...why I couldn't just die. Crow…I—I love—"

Before she could finish what she was saying, the dark laughter had ensued again. "Foolish girl! Look at what you've done! You're nothing, but a monster! You're not worth being the Signers' Guardian if you cannot control your powers or even protect those pathetic Signers! The damage you've caused was from the after-effects of the darkness that you allowed to control you!" cried the booming voice, accusingly and further infuriating the sobbing girl.

Looking up, she angrily shot back, "Me? _Me?!_ I didn't do any of this! _You_ took control of me! _You_ forced me out of my own body! _You_ twisted my words and caused me to reveal the darkness that was within me! But most of all, you _forced_ me to release my anger on the people I _loved_ and _cared_ about! _So. Shut. Up!_ **_I_ **didn't do any of this!" she cried back, with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Gasping a bit, she realized that she didn't get to finish her confession to Crow. She didn't have to look though; she felt his limp and lifeless body against her lap. Glancing down anyway, she took one last look at her best friend and the one who stole her heart and didn't even know it.

She placed her forehead against his and started to sob and weep like there was no tomorrow, and indeed, for her there wouldn't be because everything she loved was gone.

"How pathetic. Why the Crimson Dragon chose you to protect the Signers and those connected to them, I'll never know. You're a monster and that's all you'll ever be." said the slowly fading voice, tauntingly.

"Stop it! Just stop! I'm not…I'm not a monster! I'm not a…monster…" she cried. The flames died away leaving the girl and the body of the once bird duelist surrounded by nothing but debris.

Still weeping; she heard the last sentence repeat itself over and over again; like a broken record, taunting the girl from all directions yet there wasn't anyone within miles of her to say it.

* * *

"Stop it! Just stop! I'm not…a monster!" Gasping, the girl shot up into a sitting position on her bed. Looking at her alarm clock, it told her that it was only 6:35 A.M.

* * *

**A/N:** Whew, that took forever to write. This chapter was pretty upsetting, huh? To be honest, I didn't really like writing this, but it plays an important role in the story. _**Please review, and if you do, I might give you a cookie to make it up for this chapter. XD**_


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, here's the fourth chapter! There's not much for me to say other than the fact that this is going to be short and is sort of a filler chapter for the story. Almost like a little tiny bit of background since it might help clarify some things without giving too much away; though I understand if it still seems a bit confusing.

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Yugi-oh 5Ds or its characters or its' content. I DO own my O.C. Chrystal and this story's plot.

* * *

**"Only a Nightmare"**

"Stop! Stop! I'm not…I'm not a monster!"

Gasping, the girl shot up into a sitting position on her bed. Looking at her alarm clock, it told her that it was only 6:35 A.M.

Wide-eyed, she looked at her hands in fear as she was shaking uncontrollably. She was drenched in sweat as her hair stuck to her face; her sweat acting like glue. Trying to catch her breath, the girl drew in her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. Burying her face between her knees and chest, she groaned,_ "Ugh, not again…"_

_"It was only a nightmare"_ she reminded herself, _"It never happened; or at least the last half never did…"_

Removing her blanket, she swung her legs over her bed and clutched her head. Still trying to keep her composure, she headed to the bathroom, deciding that a shower would help make her feel better; maybe.

After dealing with her morning routine, the girl was trying to decide whether to wear make-up or not. Deciding that she would just wear mascara for the day, she reached for one and was about to apply it when she found herself unwilling to look at the mirror.

Realizing how silly it sounded that she was afraid to look at her reflection; she shoved her fear aside and chuckled at herself.

_'What am I so worried for? It was just a nightmare, and most nightmares hardly ever come true. Besides, the Dark Signers are gone now; there's nothing to be worried about.'_

Taking a deep breath, she raised her head to look at the mirror. She was relived to find that what she saw was a young woman around the age of eighteen with black hair and vibrant emerald green eyes with a small jagged-shaped criminal mark on the corner of her left eye and a dot-shaped criminal mark above the arch of her left eyebrow. Laughing at herself on how ridiculous she had been acting, she rolled her eyes and applied her mascara.

After applying her make-up, she walked out of her bathroom and back into her bedroom.

Her bedroom was quite large. Her bed was across from her bedroom door and was in the middle of the room with the headboard resting against the wall. Other than the door that led to the rest of her apartment, she had a huge walk-in closet and her own spacey bathroom. The other things in her room consisted of a vanity table, but she often used it as a desk for her work if she didn't feel like using the counter top in the kitchen or the low-rise table in her living room. On the left side of her bed, was a waist-high bookshelf in which she kept a fair amount of books and a thin photo album. On the other side of her bed was a metallic black night stand which consisted of a lamp and her alarm clock. Next to her bathroom door, there was a smaller version of a flat-screen TV attached to the wall. She also had two laptops sitting on her vanity table. One was for work and the other was for personal use.

* * *

Heading downstairs to make breakfast, she walked down the winding staircase and into her kitchen/living room; much like the standard Tops apartment complex.

Her kitchen was sleek and classy, and had all the essential appliances. There was a sleek silver-gray two-door refrigerator, a matching metallic-silver toaster, a large sink of the same color, a microwave, some cabinets that stored plates, bowls, cooking pots, baking pans, and silverware, and a stove and oven. In addition, there was also a coffee maker, but she only used it when she wanted coffee.

After making breakfast, she headed to her living room. It was simple and there was a large sliding glass door that led to a large balcony that allowed her to view a part of the City as well as Satellite. The balcony was large enough to fit some small potted plants, a round small-sized table with chairs, and still have room for four other people. The living room had a long, comfy sofa and two armchairs on both sides and a small low table in the middle. There was a large flat-screen TV embedded into the same wall that connected to the sliding glass doors.

As she turned on the TV, Chrystal sat on the sofa and placed her food down on the table. Flipping through some channels, she finally got to the news. On the screen, it showed a woman with strawberry blonde hair and a man with short dirty blonde hair. In the corner of the screen, it read; '7:00 AM'.

_"Welcome to New Domino City's news channel. I'm Jamie Smith and this is Brad Howard bringing updates on…"_

Chrystal only paid attention to the weather part of the program, until she heard something about a bridge. Turning up the volume a little more, she was quite happy that a certain bridge was getting some attention. Although, her mind was actually elsewhere. She couldn't shake off the nightmare that just couldn't take a hint to get lost.

_"The building of Daedalus Bridge is still continuing, in favor of Rex Goodwin who passed away a few months ago. The builders still have a long ways to go, but we can tell that they are determined to finish it so that Satellite and the City can finally be reunited once again. This bridge will not only change the lives of those who live in Satellite, but here in the City too. The bridge is a symbol of hope and new beginnings for many…"_

Chrystal had snorted when the newscaster said, "builders" because she knew who she had been referring to. The reason why she laughed was because she just could not see a certain blonde with violet eyes and large capital 'A' earrings getting dirty while working on the bridge. It was more like he would be shouting orders and have his 'As King, I do not do labor' kind of attitude. This would probably cause him and a certain red haired Blackwing duelist to argue, leaving a certain raven-haired duelist to pick up their share of work.

There was a reason why the newscasters never revealed the identity of the builders because as many supporters as the bridge had, there were just about as many who were against it. And well, her friends had already survived a threat to their lives just months before, so if those who were against the building of the bridge were willing to do anything to prevent its completion and found out who they were; the guys would have to put it on hold until things settled down. She knew that she would never hear the end of it from the guys because she knew that none of them would be very happy about it, including herself.

Turning off her TV, she got up after finishing her breakfast and decided that she should get going; she also had to make sure the twins were up and ready so that they wouldn't be late to school.

While knocking on the door of the twins' apartment, Chrystal waited for Ruka to open the door. Ruka is most often than not the one to greet her in the morning because her twin brother is always frantically searching for something of his whenever she arrives.

"Oh hi! Good morning, Chrysta-nee!" greeted Ruka, as she opened the door. "Good morning, Ruka. Hey Rua!" she replied as she walked in and noticed a blur of blue and green run from upstairs through the kitchen/living room of the apartment and back.

"Hey Chrysta-nee!" replied the blue-green blur.

"Is Rua still running around looking for his hair tie again?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" replied Ruka.

Chrystal reached over to the rack by the door and plucked a black hair tie from one of the rungs it had been hanging on.

Laughing; she said, "Because it's right here."

When the little blue-green blur came back down again, the blackette was playing with it and said, "Looking for this?"

Gasping, the blue-green blur, now just a boy who badly needed something to tie up his shoulder-length teal-green hair; ran over to the two girls.

"You're a lifesaver, Chrystal!" said Rua, while tying his hair up. "Where'd you find it?"

"Right here." replied an annoyed Luna, who answered instead.

"Oh, whoops. Forgot I put that there." said Rua.

"Why would you leave it there?" she asked.

"I don't know. I forgot."

"Ugh. _Rua!_ We're lucky Chrysta-nee showed up and found it in time or else we would've been late!"

"Yeah, well, we would've found it sooner or later!"

"Rua! Ruka! Please stop arguing or we're _all_ going to be late." The older girl interrupted; trying to get them to calm down.

"Sorry." they both said in unison.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to each other."

"Okay. Sorry I snapped at you, Rua." said Ruka.

"Yeah, and I'm sorry that I yelled at you too Ruka." said Rua.

"There. Now let's get going." Chrystal said, satisfied with finally getting them to stop arguing.

When the trio got outside of the building, the oldest of the three headed to her D-Wheel, which was in its reserved parking space. Her D-Wheel was built by her and Yusei a little while back after the Enforcers had split and gone their separate ways and before Jack had stolen Yusei's Stardust Dragon card, his first D-Wheel, and had somehow escaped to the City.

It was small and sleek, and had a glossy silver-metallic sheen with a tint of sky blue making it look as if it were made of ice. It had thick golden streaks with thin silver ones outlining it. Its windshield was bigger and wider than most. Underneath was a screen that could connect to other D-Wheels that were listed on its contact list, which acted sort of like a phone's contact list but with D-Wheel ID numbers instead or to a certain Sector Security officer who has been recently promoted to the City and who also turns out to be her sort-of-boss. In front of the screen though, was her own custom duel disk that she made herself, with a little help from Yusei of course. It was pearl white and had a silver trim with a green orb-like jewel in the middle. It had a similar structure to the standard duel disk of today.

Chrystal didn't drive the twins to school because there's not enough room on her D-Wheel for the three of them, therefore, the twins walk to and from school every day. It's actually not that far, but when you're late it is. The main reason why the older girl looks after these two is because she had somewhat helped Ruka wake up when she had fallen into a coma when she and Rua were little, but if asked, Chrystal would most likely say that it was Rua who was the actual one to get through to Ruka more than she had. And ever since then, their parents had entrusted the strange girl with psychic abilities to look after their two children since she didn't have a family or an actual home to go back to at the time. Plus, they kept insisting that they were in her debt so she had no choice, not that she minded, mind you but they wouldn't have taken no for an answer anyway.

"Alright, stay safe you two!" Chrystal said, as she revved up her D-Wheel.

"We will!" The two replied in unison again.

"Don't do anything crazy while on the road, okay big sis?" said Rua.

Laughing, Chrystal said, "Rua, you make it sound like I'm a horrible driver."

"That's because you are!" said a smiling Ruka.

"H-hey! You two are so mean. When I get back home tonight, I'm so telling your parents that you two are bullying me!" she replied, whining like a little kid.

After a couple of seconds the three all burst out laughing.

Between laughs, Chrystal said, "Okay. You two need to get going. I'll see you both later, alright?"

"Okay." The twins replied.

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

As she watched Rua and Ruka walk away towards the direction of their school; the Duel Academy, Chrystal couldn't help but smile. She loved those two very much, as if they were her own siblings; and, maybe that's exactly what they were now. She wouldn't ever dream of deliberately hurting them. And then she remembered.

_'Stupid nightmare, why don't you go away!?'_

Shaking her head to rid herself of her anxiety, Chrystal revved up the D-Wheel again and drove towards the Sector Security Bureau HQ Building.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, did any of you like this chapter? I know that the last couple of chapters were really dark, but it was a nightmare after all. Oh and before I forget, please do tell if she's turning out to be Mary-Sue-ish in any way. And one last thing, I've changed up the POV's so now most likely it'll only be in third person limited from now on. **_Please review and I wouldn't mind some constructive criticism. :)_**


	5. Chapter 5

I would like to say thank you to **Spd Striker**. You get a cookie for reviewing! :)  
Okay, here's the fifth chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Yugi-oh 5Ds. I DO however, own my O.C. Chrystal and this story's plot.

* * *

**"Nothing but Trouble"**

As she parked her D-Wheel into its reserved parking space, Chrystal was greeted by a woman a couple of years older than her. She had blue hair styled in a pixie cut, golden eyes, and wore a white business suit-like dress underneath a blue blazer that had two flared coat tails in the back.

"Chrystal! Oh thank goodness you're here!" she exclaimed as she ran over to the girl dismounting from her D-Wheel.

"Hey to you too...What's wrong?" asked Chrystal, feeling a little uneasy.

"Come on. I'll show you."

The woman led her to one of the meeting rooms that they often used. Sitting in a chair at the front of the table was a Sector Security officer who also happened to be her 'sort-of-boss'. His hands were folded and against his mouth with his elbows propped onto the table; his eyes were also distraught; clearly saying that this was something serious; and possibly bad.

"Trudge? What is it? What's the problem?" Chrystal asked as she walked in.

"We'd better step up security at the construction site." he replied.

"Why? What exactly happened?"

"Take a look at this."

Trudge showed her an article in the newspaper, **_'New Domino Times'_**, and what she saw made her gasp.

_"Today at 6:35 AM, the builders of the Daedalus Bridge found some gruesome graffiti written all over the bridge and the supportive signs and banners were torn."_

The pictures showed the bridge with some of the graffiti with insulting words about the people of Satellite; _her_ people, and also about how the idea of a bridge connecting the City and the Satellite was a stupid and ridiculous idea.

_"The bridge had more graffiti, but we would not take the picture and post it in our newspaper or on our website because of the foul language and comments that were written. We are truly sorry for what the builders saw and have to clean it off in addition to their construction of the bridge. We wish that more people would be more supportive."_

For what seemed like the millionth time that morning, although it was most likely the third, she tried to not let the tears in her eyes escape.

"Chrystal, I'm so sorry." said the woman who had brought her to Trudge.

"Chrystal, I'm sorry as well. I should've been more aware that there were people who will do anything to get rid of something they don't like or agree with or that they don't like any type of change. I showed you this because I figured that you must've not seen it on the news this morning. Believe me; I'm sure I would've known if you saw it. You would've probably called and talk my ears off the moment you saw and heard it." said Trudge, laughing as he said the last statement.

"Gee, I've only known you for just about four months and already, you know me too well. Haha, that's bad. Am I really that easy to read?" she joked.

"No, not really," he replied, laughing a little. "Chrystal? Do you think you could go and see how the guys are doing over at the bridge? If you find any evidence, please don't hesitate to take it, okay? We need to figure out who's doing it, because I have a feeling that it's someone from Sector Security."

"Alright."

As Chrystal headed out the door, Trudge added, "Sorry for asking you to go, but you're the only one that I can trust and who's free as of right now. Chrystal; again, sorry...for everything."

"Trudge, since when did you become so...so..._soft_?" Chrystal asked, smirking on the last word. She also took note that there had been more meaning behind his apology, but she knew what he meant.

"Huh? Hey! I have _not become soft_!" replied a flustered Trudge. Meanwhile, Mina had covered her mouth in an attempt not to laugh loud enough for him to hear.

"Ha ha. I'm just joking Trudge, gosh. But...thank you for your concerns, Trudge; Mina." Chrystal replied; as another genuine smile graced her lips for the second time that morning.

As the psychic got to an empty beach shore that was facing Satellite, she disengaged and activated her duel disk. She knew that she could've ridden a helicopter instead, but she felt it wouldn't have been any fun. Besides, it would cause some worry from those who support the bridge because Sector Security here in the City never go to Satellite unless it involves them, and in this situation, it did, but they had to be sure first. Also, there were Sector Security over in Satellite, so if a helicopter is sent over; people will get the impression that something bad has happened and reinforcements are needed.

She went through a deck, if you could call it that; it had a bunch of unrelated miscellaneous cards in it. Chrystal carried this deck in case she ever needed one of the monsters, spells, or traps to help her out if none of the cards in her main deck could.

Since she had already activated her duel disk, she picked out a monster card that would be good for travelling on water and not cause too much commotion. If she had chosen a monster that seriously stood out, people might catch sight of it and start to freak. And then she might get in trouble, so yeah, she had to be careful about these things.

The card Chrystal chose was, 'Water Dragon'. Normally, you couldn't summon it without the spell card, 'Bonding-H2O' and the required monsters, but she was psychic, so she's able to summon it outside of a duel without paying anything. Sort of.

As she lightly slapped the card onto one of the spaces on her duel disk; a serpent-like dragon made of water appeared. After she summoned it however, she felt like something had zapped a chunk of energy from her body. As a psychic, even though you could do a lot more than a normal person could, you had to pay some sort of price. Fortunately, she's done this plenty of times before, so she felt used to it by now and that she was glad that she had improved on withstanding the side effects.

After hiding her D-Wheel in a rather large hidden crevice in a nearby cave on the beach, she jumped onto the Water Dragon and commanded it to take her to Satellite.

As Chrystal approached Satellite, she saw the bridge. The progress was really doing well to say the least. But as she got closer, the bridge looked even more horrible than it did in the picture from the article Trudge had showed her, if that was even possible. Chrystal then saw the part of the bridge that the** _'New Domino Times'_** wouldn't take a picture of. Reading it, she felt so hurt and enraged. Whoever these people were, they were going to be sorry and wished that they had never been born once she found them.

On the shore, the Fairy duelist spotted a certain red-head and a raven-haired nineteen year old among the group of older men. She also saw a group of Sector Security, but they were there to make sure that nothing bad would happen to the construction crew while they were working from people who might do just about anything to stop the rebuilding of the bridge.

Rounding the side of the bridge just a little, Chrystal also spotted more people, most likely the other half of the construction crew, working on scrubbing off the graffiti.

She decided to do them a little favor by having Water Dragon use Hydro Blast to clean off the harsh message that she had just read. No one else deserved to see it. But then she sweat-dropped and thought, _'How in the _world_ did they manage to get the graffiti on_ that_ part of the bridge?'_

After deciding that she would rather not know, she had Water Dragon continue its way to the shore where the guys were; well, until she spotted a certain blonde. He didn't seem to be aware of her or her monster, so Chrystal was convinced that this was a great opportunity to play a little _harmless_ prank.

As she inched closer, she could hear the blonde grumbling and muttering incoherent words like, "stupid...graffiti...signs and banners...red...torn..." as he busily and ferociously scrubbed away some of his part of the bridges' graffiti. She had to stifle her laughter because she still couldn't believe that this was **_Jack_**, one of the _laziest_ people she knew and that somehow, someone had managed to get him to work.

She noticed that the Blackwing duelist and Satellites' Shooting Star were picking up the former Kings' share of work while he and some others cleaned the bridge. She figured that the workers decided that if they wanted to clean off the graffiti and not fall behind with the bridges' construction; the group of men decided to split up into two groups. One to clean off the graffiti and the other to continue on with the building of the bridge.

However, Chrystal didn't know that none of them had to choose who was doing the cleaning or the building. Most of the cleaning crew had volunteered on behalf of the former King.

The former King had been the first one to volunteer. He didn't have to say why though, as he had his reasons. (1. _Someone_ had to clean it off, and 2. he was so angered by the insults that he was afraid that he might break something or accidentally hurt someone, if not himself; if he were to work on the bridge if he didn't vent his anger out some time soon.)

Suddenly, Jack got drenched in water.

'_Huh? Why am I completely soaked? High tide doesn't come in at this time of day. Grr, someone must've dumped water on me again! Crow Hogan!'_

As he turned and got up, he met the face of a Water Dragon instead.

"Gah!" he screamed, falling backwards. On top of the Water Dragon was a girl he often argued and bickered with. She was wearing a Sector Security suit and a small tie that went with the outfit, but it was little more form-fitting and instead of the bland pale pea-green color that nearly all the uniforms had, hers was a pinkish-purple plum color and her tie was a pale rose pink.

"Aww, did I scare you Jack?" she mockingly asked, all the while laughing.

Jack was still a little disoriented, but immediately sent a glare in the girl's direction.

"Oh, ha ha. That was so funny I forgot to laugh." Jack said sarcastically, as he was trying to recover from his not-so-mini heart attack.

"Oh, Jack. I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it, I just _had_ to. It was way too tempting. I mean, you weren't even aware of me or my_ huge_ Water Dragon. And besides, it was payback." replied Chrystal, still laughing at Jack.

"Humph, well it was _Water_ _Dragon_, so of course I wouldn't have been able to see it if it was in the _water_. But fine. Whatever." he replied. "But don't think you've won because the King shall deal a payback twice as worse as this."

Usually, Chrystal would have laughed and said, "Sure, keep dreaming Jack"_,_ but the smirk he gave her made her regret about scaring the crap out of him. Well, _almost_.

"Well, if you didn't see the dragon, then how did you not see me? Obviously, there couldn't be a random girl just sliding through the water."

"Hn." was all Jack managed to say as well as giving her an annoyed glare.

"Chrysta! Haha, that was a good one!"

When she turned around to thank whoever had complimented her on her well played prank, she came face to face with the one she had accidentally-or purposefully?-killed in her nightmare just this morning.

Chrystal's mouth felt like it had been frozen shut. She didn't understand why the words wouldn't come out. Was it because of her not-so-small, _tiny, minuscule_ crush on him or was it because she was still too ashamed to look or even talk to him because of what her reoccurring nightmare keeps reminding her of what she did?

_'Baka,'_ she told herself. '_Of course it's both! Ugh...what do I do!?'_

"Uh, Chrys'? You okay?" he asked.

Chrystal's head was tilted downward making her bangs cover her eyes a bit as she found herself unable to meet Crow's gaze as she looked down at the sand at his feet, but she knew what he probably looked like at the moment. With his head sort of cocked to the side and an eyebrow raised, his face in that of a worried expression, lips a bit pursed, hands on his hips, and leaning a bit forward. She chuckled softly and blushed slightly as she realized just how much she actually paid attention to him that she could figure out what he was doing without so much as looking at him; which is what she couldn't quite do at the moment.

However, she realized that she had to answer his question (and soon) and look as though she was fine so as not to make her friends worry. She forced herself to look _at least_ up in his direction and _say something_. But she didn't like lying to the guys, especially Crow, but she felt that she wasn't quite ready to talk about _it_ yet either.

"Huh? Oh, yeah sorry. I just spaced out that's all. I guess it's cause I'm a little tired...but don't worry, other than that I'm fine!" she replied in a rather rushed and flustered way as well as rubbing the back of her head absent-mindedly. She still couldn't meet his gaze since she had already felt so awkward after _that_.

"I mean, ugh, sorry!" Chrystal exclaimed as she realized that her strange reply was going to do the opposite of what she wanted and make them worry instead. "What I meant was; thanks Crow, for your compliment on my prank," Chrystal turned and smiled smugly at Jack, who in turn crossed his arms and frowned at her, making the girl laugh even more, "and for your concern." she replied with a grin as she turned back to face Crow.

"Oh, uh yeah, sure; but are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

"Yes. Don't worry about me, ok? I'll be fine. Besides, you guys have more important things to worry about; like the bridge here." said Chrystal, as she tried to reassure him, pointing with her thumb to the bridge behind her.

"Actually, you're more important..." Crow quietly murmured.

"Huh? Could you repeat that Crow?" she asked. "Sorry, I couldn't hear over the crashing of the waves..."

"Huh? Oh, I didn't; didn't say anything!" he replied; rubbing the back of his head with one of his hands, sort of grinning sheepishly, and laughing sort of awkwardly.

Immediately after Crow said that however, Chrystal swore she heard snorts of laughter coming from Jack and Yusei, who were behind her and Crow, respectively.

"Oh, okay. Whoops, my bad. Guess the lack of sleep is making me hear things too."

Chrystal cocked her head to the side this time and thought that that was weird behavior for Crow.

_'That was weird and did I just see a tinge of pink on his cheeks?'_

Chrystal felt her cheeks start to heat up and she tried to force it down before it could be a full blown blush. She decided to face the ocean seeing as the sea breeze would help cool down the heat in her face.

"Hey, why are you looking out to the ocean? Is there something wrong?" asked Jack, trying to act like he was just asking an innocent question.

However, Chrystal caught on to what Jack was trying to do as this wasn't the first time he's done so and decided to turn the conversation back to him instead.

"For your information Jack Atlas; my dear former King," Chrystal said, as she gave a sarcastic slight curtsy. "I thank you for your concern, but I _believe_ that you have work to do." Her words were practically dripping with sarcasm at this point. "Oh and don't work yourself too hard, wouldn't want you to break those perfectly manicured nails of yours."

Those, other than Yusei and Crow, who heard the female Sector Security officer; stifled with laughter.

Jack was rather put off by her comment. So what if he had perfectly manicured nails? It's not a pretty sight to have chipped nails, that's for sure, even if they aren't cheap. But he knew what she was up to, but he thought it wouldn't hurt to rile her up a bit more.

"Well at least mine are manicured. I _am_ better looking than you after all, so it would see fit that I get proper treatment. But that's beside the point. Why are you here anyways? Oh wait...that's right, there's a certain _person_ you wanted to see isn't it?" As if those words weren't enough to get the girl in front of him to show that she was starting to panic, then you should have seen the smirk he was giving her.

Chrystal swore she saw an evil and mischievous glint in his eyes. His smirk wasn't helping either, it was really creeping her out. "Well_..._?"

"Why don't you **_hush_**," Chrystal said with as much hostility as she could muster through her panic. "And get back to work, **_my dear former King?_**" she finished, the last words dripping with so much sugary sweetness that she had to clench down her jaw so as not to grimace as she made a point to emphasize the other words. She never thought she'd have to ever say the word King with that tone and in this kind of situation.

_'Dammit! What's wrong with him? Can't he get the hint to _drop it_ already?!'_

Jack, who was taken aback by her tone; had cracked a smile (or should I say smirk?) and laughed a bit.

_'Eh? Why is he laughing?'_

"Would you look at that; I haven't heard you use that tone of voice in forever." he said; with possibly the world's biggest jerk smirk ever plastered on his face.

"Y-yeah well, you made me say it so...so...so just _hush and get back to scrubbing away that mess!_" Crossing her arms and looking away, still trying to recover from her embarrassing outburst, Chrystal couldn't help but feel like she was being put on the spot. And she probably deserved it seeing as she had interrupted them with their work.

After things had settled, one of the construction workers asked the female Security, "So why _are_ you here?"

Chrystal clenched her teeth upon remembering the little message that was left for them to read.

"I came on patrol duty for a request from Officer Trudge about today's incident on Daedalus Bridge. What I'm looking for is for some kind of evidence but I haven't had so much of a clue. If any of you find anything, make sure you tell me directly okay?

"Oh, and the reason why I forgot to explain my being here was because I got distracted by three certain boys in your crew." she said, teasingly.

"H-hey! Me and Yus' didn't do anything!" said Crow, laughing as he caught onto Chrystal's little joke.

"Oh please. We all know what-or rather _who_-" Jack was interrupted by the girl again.

"Didn't I just I tell you to shush?!" she yelled, as she felt her cheeks becoming warm and having that familiar tingly sensation again. She also heard the other construction workers laugh again.

_'Ugh, I swear, these boys drive me insane! And it's only been what? Thirty minutes since I arrived!?'_ Letting a slight chuckle escape her slightly smirking lips, '_They're nothing but trouble.'_

* * *

It was a couple of hours since she arrived on the beach of Satellite where Chrystal had been asked to investigate. She was taking a short break a little ways off from the bridge since she was getting frustrated that after two hours of searching and coming up with ideas that lead to nowhere; she hasn't been able to find anything suspicious yet. She took this time to actually ponder why Trudge had sent her here if it was only a case of vandalism on an in-progress city project. She knew that in some cases, especially since this certain project was the center of controversy and that this one act could lead to many more and possibly even life-threatening problems...it was too soon to figure it out yet. She sighed in frustration and sat down on the sand and decided to look out at sea towards the City to cool down.

Chrystal was still thinking and musing over this when a Sector Security walked up to her and said, "You two bicker like husband and wife, did you know that?"

"Eh?" was all she could intelligently mutter as she was brought out of her thoughts. She looked up to a smiling face with blue eyes and soft-looking hair that was dull brown in color.

"Yeah, you and that guy Jack Atlas. It was pretty amusing."

A little ways off, Jack sneezed and almost dropped the 80 lb. bag of concrete he was carrying.

_'Damn, who the hell is talking about me!?'_

Looking around, his eyes landed on Chrystal and one of the construction workers, Hotaru. He noticed that the construction worker was smiling and laughing at whatever the girl had said. And then that's when he heard it.

"Pfft. Don't make me puke, he's the last one I'd ever date or marry. And even then I still wouldn't do either." she replied. The guy she was talking with laughed and said, "Ouch, that's not good for any guy to hear."

"Yeah, well you had set it up after all. I felt like I knew I was going to say it."

"What's your name again? Chrystal was it?"

"Yeah, yours?"

"Hotaru. Nice to meet you." said the brunette, sitting down next to her and holding out his hand to greet her.

"Likewise." Chrystal replied, returning the gesture.

Jack smirked as he continued to watch the two make small talk and thought, _'Looks like someone's made a new friend...wonder how Crow's gonna take it.'_

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Don't be afraid to tell me what you think. **_Please review and maybe you might get a cookie like Spd Striker. :)_**


	6. Chapter 6

I'm sorry about making you guys wait for so long. School has seriously got me working my butt off the past month and I kinda got stuck while writing this chapter.

I just wanted to say much thanks to **Hieratic Dragon Keeper** and **SakuraMiharu** for reviewing! Seriously, you don't know how much I appreciate the reviews and constructive criticism. They are widely appreciated! :)

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Yugi-oh 5Ds. I DO however, own my O.C. Chrystal and this story's plot.

* * *

**"The Stranger"**

It was mid-day; and the late spring, early summer sun made Crow and the rest of the construction workers feel like they were being baked in a three-hundred and seventy-five degree oven. Crow almost felt sorry for Sector Security. Almost. They had to wear that uniform of theirs and in this summer-like heat, Crow was pretty sure it was like a sauna in there. Even if they could remove their uniform jacket it would still be too hot. He _was_ however, a little worried about Chrystal since she was also required to wear the uniform as well. But he noticed that she had changed her outfit. She wore a sleeveless sky blue top and pale blue-grey skinny jeans and he figured that she had worn that underneath her uniform.

Everyone soon decided that it was time for their lunch break. After retrieving their lunches, everyone pretty much went back to their respective groups. One was the construction crew, including Chrystal. The other one, Sector Security.

Though most of the construction crew were flat-out tired, some decided to duel each other for fun. They did this regularly; almost every day to keep the spirits up. Sometimes they would challenge Crow, Jack, or Yusei; and even though they often lost, they were just happy to know that the guys accepted their requests; not that they would've said no anyway.

As Chrystal headed towards Crow and Yusei's way after finishing up her report; Jack was a few yards away near the bridge busying himself with something that the other two guys couldn't see.

"Hey guys." Chrystal greeted. "Is there room for one more or am I not wanted?"

"Nope, sorry. Seats are all taken." replied Yusei; grinning and both knowing fully well that they were sitting on the beach of Satellite and not at an actual table; even though they were sitting around each other as if they were.

Crow looked on amused at Chrystal and Yusei's silly greetings.

_'They're as close as best friends could get. I guess it's understandable because those two have bonded really well ever since we've met her, but I just can't help but feel jealous.'_

Crow was snapped back to reality when Chrystal said, "Oh, ok. Bye then."

"Huh?"

Laughing; she said, "Glad you're back Birdie. We thought we lost you."

Crow didn't know if he had imagined it, but he thought he saw a glint of pain and something else he couldn't quite identify in her eyes. But as soon as he saw it, her smiles and laughter seemed to have made it look like it she was the most care-free and happiest person on the planet.

_'As usual; now that I think about it...'_ he thought sadly.

As Chrystal sat down in the space in front of Crow and Yusei, she seemed a little distracted.

Chrystal swore she caught a glimpse of someone behind the crumbled buildings behind the guys; watching them.

_'Who's that?' _She asked herself as she squinted her eyes a bit.

"Um, Yus'? Crow? Could you both watch my stuff for me? I'll be back."

"Sure." The guys replied.

"Thanks." she replied, taking off towards the deserted buildings that were behind the two.

_'Why is she going that way? Did she see something?' _Crow couldn't help but wonder as he watched his friends' retreating back.

As she continued to run towards the buildings, she sent a mental apology, _'Sorry guys, but something just doesn't feel right.'_

Normally, given her past experiences with the boys; Chrystal would've never trusted any of them with her stuff, but for some reason, she felt like this was something serious. As she ran towards the building, the shadowy figure took off. Wondering if the person was someone who opposed the construction of the bridge or if they were just trying to get a look at it, Chrystal continued to run after them.

Finally, after what felt like forever and the fact that Chrystal seriously wished that she had brought her D-Wheel along, the stranger stopped; after many twists and turns of course. Chrystal also noticed that the surroundings were similar to that of her nightmare.

_'This can't be a coincidence...'_

Chrystal wasn't sure if the stranger thought they had lost her or if they knew she was hiding within the shadows of the alleyway they were facing because they kept staring in her direction as if hesitating. If there was one good thing to learn from growing up in Satellite as a kid, it was to hide and use the surroundings to your advantage.

Suddenly, she felt her feet start moving against her will. As Chrystal stepped out of the shadows of the alleyway and into the daylight where she could be clearly seen, she immediately felt a cold chill run up and down her spine; despite the hot summer-like day.

On closer inspection, the shadowy figure wore a black cape-like robe and had used their hood to cover their eyes. It appeared that they were smirking.

"Don't resist."

Chrystal became confused. What were they talking about? Were they referring to her feet walking against her will or was it something else?

Luckily, she found that it had been the former, thank goodness. However, the strange figure activated their duel disk.

"Prepare to face your doom!" cried the shadowy figure.

"What?" Chrystal was shocked at the strange outburst and at the familiarity of the voice.

The shadowy figure pulled back their hood and started to manically laugh.

Chrystal was beyond flabbergasted by what she saw. More so, she started to freak out. The ominous stranger was none other than herself...or at least, when she had been a Dark Signer...which actually hadn't been too long ago.

_'No way...this isn't possible!'_

"Oh, but it is. You can't get rid of me that easily Chrissy." she replied, as if she could read Chrystal's thoughts. "In fact, why else have you had that reoccurring nightmare after the Crimson Dragon sealed away the King of the Netherworld for almost two months now?"

"But-but it's not possible!" Chrystal exclaimed, her tongue feeling foreign to her. "I thought Yusei got rid of you after defeating me - er, you - and after the Crimson Dragon sealed away the King of the Netherworld! _And don't call me Chrissy!_"

"Ah, but you forget; Yusei may have gotten rid of me from you, but he also released me." the darker girl replied. Smirking, she continued to explain, "The only difference between me and the other Dark Signers is the fact that I am a _part_ _of you_. The Crimson Dragon didn't seal away the darkness within your heart because I was already gone. So in other words, I'll be sticking around for a little while longer."

* * *

Shortly after Chrystal ran off, Jack came up to sit with Yusei and Crow after finishing preparing a certain little 'project' of his own. Before Jack had walked over to his friends, he had seen her round the corner of a building she was heading towards before disappearing from sight.

"Where's Chrystal running off to?"

"Don't know. But she said she'd be back, so don't worry. I reassure you that she hasn't found a better bicker partner than you." said Crow.

Jack couldn't help but raise his eyebrow in amusement. "Tch, I could care less. However, I believe she may have found a better best friend or at least one that can sit down long enough for a little chat than you."

"What?"

"Not that I'm saying you should care. She has plenty of other friends like that. But you're still her _best friend_, so nothing to worry about, right?" Jack smirked, emphasizing the words, 'best friend'. Oh, how he knew how to press Crow's buttons when it concerned their Guardian friend.

"Tch. So? Chrysta can make light conversation with everyone. What are ya trying to get at, Jack?" Crow replied.

"Nothing, just thought I let you guys know. It seems that one of the Sector Securities has taken a bit of a liking to her though. I think his name's Hotaru or something."

"Tch. Okay? Chrysta has a bunch of friends that are in Sector Security too." replied Crow. Even though he didn't show any interest, he was actually beyond livid. Crow remembered someone in their group of Sector Securities named Hotaru. That guy was nice at first, but then Crow noticed that he would give the construction workers and him a dirty glare when he thought they weren't looking. But today Hotaru had really given Crow a nasty glare whether or not he cared if Crow saw or not once Chrystal had stepped away to investigate. And knowing that Hotaru was trying to get on Grace's good side was pissing him off.

"Yeah, I know. Just thought I'd tell you. You _are_ her best friend after all. You're supposed to chase away all the guys that try to hit on her." replied Jack. He was just waiting to see Crow burst. It was pretty amusing and easy to tease his little foster brother about their Fairy duelist.

Before Crow could retort anything else, Yusei interrupted their little 'chat', "Jack, I think we get it. And I think we should at least either eat already or put it somewhere where the gulls won't get to it."

"Tch. Alright, alright. Quit acting like Martha, Yusei. It doesn't suit you."

Yusei laughed in response.

"I will if you stop teasing the poor guy." he replied, referring to Crow who was now sulking and had gotten up to watch one of the duels that was going on.

It had been more than forty minutes since Chrystal left and Yusei, Jack, and Crow started to worry. Usually, she would've been back in no time, considering the way she had replied. And if she knew she wouldn't be back in less than fifteen minutes, then she would've mentioned that she might not return for at least another thirty minutes. Or at least somehow contacted either of the guys, as she did have her cell phone with her, since she didn't leave it behind.

"Did Chrystal say or mention anything before she left?" asked Jack.

"No. In fact, now that I think about it, she didn't say anything after asking us to watch her stuff for her." Yusei replied.

"Yeah and usually, she would've been back by now, but..." said Crow, trailing off.

Suddenly, the Marks of the Crimson Dragon started to glow.

"What the-"

* * *

It was 12:30 pm and Rua was scarfing down his lunch as fast as he humanly could as his sister, Ruka, watched him in annoyance.

"Rua! Slow down, you know we have a whole thirty minutes left of lunch!" she exclaimed. "And you know Chrysta-nee doesn't like it when you do that!"

Rua, who had his mouth full; wanted to tell Ruka that he had a duel waiting for him during their lunch break and he didn't want to be late and waste precious duel time; which would explain his behavior that afternoon. The twins were sitting by themselves at one of the many white round tables outside the Duel Academy's cafeteria. The table they chose to sit at was placed under the shade of one of the large willow trees that had been planted there. Many would agree that the spot under the tree was the best place to eat on a scorching hot day.

As Rua painfully swallowed down his food, a girl with short burgundy colored hair and amber cat-shaped eyes sat down next to his sister.

"Hey you two." said the psychic.

"Hi Aki-san!" Ruka replied.

"Um, no offence, but," Aki started, as she saw Rua eating, "why is your brother eating like that again? I thought Chrystal had already fully established her rule of 'No speed eating'."

"I'm not too sure, but what I _do_ know is that Chrysta-nee is going to give him a good scolding again tonight." said Ruka, laughing a bit as she said the last statement.

As Rua was about to start explaining his behavior that afternoon to the two psychics, Ruka and Aki's Mark of the Crimson Dragon started to glow.

Worried, the girls received the feeling that there was trouble and danger looming over their Guardian friend.

"Oh no, Chrysta-nee is in trouble! But from what?" exclaimed Ruka.

"It feels familiar to the ones we would get when we dueled against a Dark Signer; but didn't the Crimson Dragon seal away the King of the Netherworld? And I thought we defeated all of the Dark Signers; don't tell me we missed one." Aki anxiously replied.

She didn't like this feeling at all. Looking back at her Claw Mark, she could only hope that her fellow psychic Signer wasn't alone.

* * *

"She's in danger?! Well that explains everything!" Crow angrily huffed.

"Well then, come on. We have to go find her." said Yusei.

"No. Let me go by myself. If Sector Security sees that we're nowhere to be found and since Chrystal is missing too, then they'll suspect that we're up to something." Crow replied. "And I'm not willing to put Chrystal's career on the line."

"But-"

"But nothing Yus'. I'm going by myself and that's that."

"Look at bird brain; trying to play the hero now. It's so obvious as to what your actual reason is." teased Jack.

"Shut up Jack! I'm not trying to impress anyone here! Besides, they don't really pay much attention to me so it'll be easy for me to slip away unnoticed!" Crow reasonably replied, feeling his face burn up. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment, he didn't know.

_'Great. My face probably looks like a freaking ripe tomato by now...'_

Grinning, Yusei said, "Well? What are you waiting for then?"

Smirking as usual, Jack continued; "Go, she might not be able to wait the rest of her life for you to come and rescue her; or maybe she would..."

"Guys, stop it. It's-it's not funny." Crow replied, fumbling with his helmet.

_'Just perfect. Now I can't even calm down enough to put my helmet on properly...'_

Once Crow had gotten a hold of himself, he swung his leg over his D-Wheel and told Jack and Yusei to cover for him and Chrystal in case anyone realized that they were missing.

"And when I say 'cover for me and Chrysta', don't you dare say anything ridiculous as being the reason why we're 'missing', ok? Chrysta is in danger, so _please_ be serious for once."

"Says the one who's always been the most reckless out of the three of us." said Yusei.

"Tch. Says the one that snuck into New Domino using the trash pipe between it and Satellite and landing himself in the Facility." said Jack, referring to Yusei.

"Says the one who stole the ace card and only way of transportation from said best friend and rode his sorry hide to meet the bastard who started all this." Crow said, defending Yusei while replying a little harsher than he had intended it to be.

"Why you-"

"Guys, stop. Crow, you have to get going now. Keep us updated through the monitor screen, okay?"

"Alright...fine."

As Crow revved up his D-Wheel, he felt his Mark pulse as if it were trying to tell him where to go and which direction to take.

After a while, he realized that the Mark was leading him to towards the center of Satellites' B.A.D. area. Then it hit him. The feeling was telling him that some kind of dark energy was the problem. He couldn't be too sure though, because he had just recently become a Signer and so he feels a little foggy about how things work. So instead of questioning it further, he decided to ask Yusei and Jack about it through his D-Wheel's monitor screen.

"Hey Yus', Jack? Is this the feeling that you guys would get when one of you were either threatened or dueling a Dark Signer?"

The guys didn't answer right away, but they didn't have to. Crow took their silence as a yes. After a few minutes of nothing but the sound of Crow's D-Wheel in motion, Yusei said, "Yes, it's the same exact feeling. And if you don't get there in time, Chrystal might be in even more danger and you might not have any chance of saving her."

"Hey, you're making it sound like you don't have faith in her dueling skills or my timing." Crow replied.

"Well, it's not like I doubt either of you, but this is worse than the usual warning we had gotten during the war against the Dark Signers."

* * *

With a sly smirk on her face; Chrystal's supposed 'darker half' asked, "So...how about a duel?"

Immediately, purple-colored flames appeared and encircled the two. Chrystal had no choice but to accept since she was already trapped inside and the only way out was to accept the challenge and win.

Sighing, she replied as she activated her duel disk, "Fine. You're on!"

"Let's duel!"

As they shouted the phrase; Chrystal's Guardian Mark, which is located on her left arm, softly glowed and pulsed. It was of the Crimson Dragon, but it snaked around her arm; its' tail beginning at her shoulder and its head on the back of her hand.

**Chrystal (LP: 4000) VS. Darkness (LP: 4000)**

"Too bad you didn't bring your D-Wheel, Chrissy. It would've made the duel more interesting."

Remembering her nightmare; Chrystal thought, '_More like dangerous.'_

"Oh Chrissy, that's my point!" she chuckled.

Scowling, Chrystal thought, '_Great, she can read my thoughts...this is _not_ going to be fun.'_

"Actually, no I can't read your thoughts even though I'm you, but I figured what you would think. Chrissy, you're so predictable." she replied.

Rolling her eyes; Chrystal replied, "That's because you're a _part_ of me, therefore of _course_ you would know how I think and act."

"Glad you finally accepted the fact that I'm _you_." she replied.

"I never said that you weren't me, but that doesn't mean that I'm anything like you!"

Chuckling, Darkness said, "Alright, believe what you will. You're in denial, which is understandable because it is of human nature; but know that as much as you try to hide it, it won't go away."

"Shut up and make your move already!"

"Fine. Since I'm going first, and it's my turn; I Draw!"

"I summon Dark Valkyria in attack mode!"

Dark Valkyria, Lv. 4 Gemini Dark Attribute Fairy; 1800 ATK 1050 DEF

A female fairy appeared on Darkness's field. She wore a dress/warrior outfit colored in shades of soft dark blue, purple, and black. She had wings similar to Dunames Dark Witch but they were larger and colored a charcoal black with large orange gems decorating it. She also wore black boots and a helmet on her head. She had eyes as red as blood and silver-grey hair.

"I equip the spell card, Axe of Despair to Dark Valkyria! With this card, the equipped monster gains 1000 ATK."

A giant axe about half the height of Dark Valkyria appeared in her hands.

Dark Valkyria: 2800 ATK 1050 DEF

"I play another spell card, Burden of the Mighty! This spell card causes my opponents' face-up monsters to lose 100 ATK x its own level. Lastly, I'll play the spell, Soul of the Pure, meaning I can increase my LP by 800."

**Darkness's LP:** 4000 + 800 = 4800

Finally, Darkness said, "I end my turn."

"My turn, Draw!"

"I play the spell card, Lightning Vortex! By discarding one card to the Graveyard, I can destroy all face-up monsters my opponent controls!"

A hologram of an enlarged Lightning Vortex card appeared in front of Chrystal on the field and Dark Valkyria was destroyed by a shower of arrow-shaped lightning bolts that was seemingly launched from the card.

"Tch..." said Darkness, obviously making it known it annoyed her that her counterpart destroyed her only monster and defense.

"I play another spell card; Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. I also activate its' effect; once per turn, if I control no monsters, I can special summon any one Fairy-type monster from my hand. And I'll choose to special summon Guardian Angel Joan!"

Guardian Angel Joan, Lv. 7 Light Attribute Fairy; 2800 ATK 2000 DEF

Just as her name implies, a full-grown female guardian angel-like fairy materialized on Chrystal's side of the field. She had a short blonde boy-cut hairstyle and wore a white dress with golden outlines. The dress was formfitting from the chest to the bottom of her legs and slightly flared out at the end of the dress. Her wings were white and looked like how all angel wings appeared; large and elegant. She had kind eyes and on her arms, she wore a thin shawl matching her outfit.

"Due to my spell card, Burden of the Mighty, your little 'angel' loses 700 ATK." said Darkness.

Lv. 7 x 100 = 700  
2800 - 700 = 2100

Guardian Angel Joan: 2100 ATK 2000 DEF

"I also summon Dunames Dark Witch in attack mode!" Grace continued, ignoring the decrease of her monsters' ATK.

Dunames Dark Witch, Lv. 4 Light Attribute Fairy; 1800 ATK 1050 DEF

As soon as Dunames Dark Witch materialized onto the field, her ATK became 1400.

Lv. 4 x 100 = 400  
1800 - 400 = 1400

Dunames Dark Witch: 1400 ATK 1050 DEF

"I equip the spell card, Cestus of Dagla to Guardian Angel Joan. When this equip spell card is equipped to any Fairy-Type monster, the equipped monster gains 500 ATK."

2100 + 500 = 2600  
Guardian Angel Joan: 2600 ATK 2000 DEF

"Guardian Angel Joan, attack Darkness's LP directly! Attack with Orb of Hope!"

Guardian Angel Joan created an orb of light in between her hands and released it; the orb of light hit Darkness which knocked her off her feet. Darkness grunted from the impact, though she would've suffered more had she not braced herself.

"Argh...!"

4800 - 2600 = 2200  
**Darkness's LP: **2200

"The equip spell card, Cestus of Dagla, activates! When a monster equipped with this card inflicts Battle Damage to my opponents' LP, I gain LP equal to the damage my opponent took."

Damage taken by Darkness: 2600  
**Chrystal's LP:** 4000 + 2600 = 6600

"Now it's your turn Dunames Dark Witch! Attack her with Valhalla Arrow!" Chrystal commanded again.

Dunames Dark Witch formed and aimed a small, and rather short, bow and arrow made of blue light at Darkness and released it; finding its target. As the arrow hit Darkness's Duel Disk, the Guardian watched her darker self's LP decrease.

2200 - 1400 = 800  
**Darkness's LP:** 800

As Chrystal ended her turn, an injured Darkness stood back up slowly. Suddenly, Chrystal's Mark pulsed with aggravating pain causing her to grab her Mark and double over with anguish. "Argh! What the?"

_'Oww, what was that for?'_

As Chrystal was still trying to recover from that rather out-of-the-blue ache, she looked up to see Darkness chuckling darkly.

"It seems as though you've been given a warning, Chrissy. I guess I should tell you, but then knowing you, you'd probably wouldn't care."

Growling, Chrystal curtly replied, "What do _you_ know!?"

Smirking, Darkness replied, "Simple. My pain is your pain!"

_'That can't be, all those other times I hit her, I didn't feel a thing...'_

Laughing a bit, the Guardian's darker half replied, "That's because I'm down to my last couple hundred LP and I did say that it was a warning, but that's just something you have to find out yourself. It takes more than that to take me out. But like I said, knowing you, you wouldn't care; isn't that right Chrissy?"

Not waiting for Chrystal to reply, she continued, "It's my turn, Draw!"

"I summon Gellenduo in attack mode."

Gellenduo, Lv. 4 Light Attribute Fairy; 1700 ATK 0 DEF

Two marshmallow-like fairy creatures with halo rings around their waists hovered together as they were summoned. One was pink and the other was green. Both had deep blue sapphire eyes.

"Gellenduo, attack Chrissy's Dunames Dark Witch!" she commanded.

The two marshmallow-like creatures took aim at Dunames Dark Witch, and as the battle fairy prepared herself for their attack, they flew right through her; shattering her hologram.

ATK Difference: 1700 - 1400 = 300  
**Chrystal's LP:** 6600 - 300 = 6300

"I end my turn."

"Tch. That wasn't much. My turn. Draw!

"I summon Freya, Spirit of Victory!"

Freya, Spirit of Victory, Lv. 1 Light Attribute Fairy; 100 ATK 100 DEF

A fairy with pinkish-red pom-poms materialized onto the field. She wore a short blue sleeveless dress with segments of black on the chest and skirt part of the dress and slits on both sides of the skirt. She had pale storm-grey hair with a vibrant red flower placed in it. She also had black unattached sleeves and halo-like bracelets and anklets; one on each of her arms and ankles.

"Due to my spell, Burden of the Mighty, Freya's ATK is 0." Darkness said smugly.

Lv. 1 x 100  
100 - 100 = 0

Freya, Spirit of Victory: 0 ATK 100 DEF

Chrystal smirked,_ 'That's where her special ability kicks in.'_

"Freya's effect activates! All Fairy-Type monsters I control gain 400 ATK and DEF. And just because Freya still has a low amount of attacking power doesn't mean she's worthless!"

Guardian Angel Joan: 3000 ATK 2400 DEF  
Freya, Spirit of Victory: 400 ATK 500 DEF

"Guardian Angel Joan; attack Darkness's only monster, Gellenduo! Attack, and finish this duel!"

Once again, Guardian Angel Joan formed her orb of light and released it; heading towards the two little fairies that were Darkness's only defense.

ATK Difference: 3000 - 1700 = 1300

**Darkness's LP: 0 LOSER**  
**Chrystal's LP: 6300 WINNER**

As Darkness's Life Points dropped to zero, Chrystal suddenly thought that their duel was _way_ too easy; especially since her opponent was a Dark Signer. Not that she's saying that she doesn't have skills; she does, but a duel against a Dark Signer would've needed to be a bit more challenging than the one they had just now.

Abruptly, Darkness started cackling like a mad person. The other girl noticed that other than her crazy laughter; and despite the damage she had taken, Darkness was still standing like her bruises and scrapes _weren't even there_.

"Fool! Have you forgotten? I can't get rid of that easily! This was just a warm-up to see if you were up to par!"

"What?!"

"Now the real duel begins!"

* * *

**A/N:** Again, sorry for making you guys wait, although I won't guarantee you that the next one will be up sooner than this one had been. I've got finals to worry about! Anyways, I hope you liked the new chapter; hopefully it made up for my month and a half long absence. **Anyways, please review!** :)


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